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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!

An interesting approach to this Impromptu, Entheo. In many Schubert piano pieces, I've always found it very difficult to establish a satisfying pace. Too slow, and it feels endless; too fast, and it feels rushed and forced. For this particular Impromptu, Section A has for me more of a "dance" feel than a "hymn" feel -- but, having said that, his highly dramatic development of the first statement implies, I must admit, more of the hymn than the dance -- and that aspect you project very well.

I'm not persuaded much by your approach to the "B" section. First off, I think you're using too much pedal throughout this section; but secondly (and more importantly), I hear much more lyricism and less virtuosity than what you're projecting in this performance. I agree that there is a "storm" quality to this section -- but I'd be inclined to emphasize the singing line, which IMO is quite especially beautiful; really the high point of the Impromptu for me.

My only comment on the re-statement of Section "A" is that I would deliberately pick and choose a few details to project differently than the first time around. The reason I say that is that the section is really quite long (again, pace!), and with your approach, I think we have time to savor some subtle changes in the dramatic arch.

Having said all of this, I still found your performance solid and satisfying -- thanks for sharing this!

Entheo, for me, the Persian Song is reminiscent of Satie's "Gnossiennes" -- the same static rhythmic pulse throughout, the odd shifts in harmonic modulation at various junctures. If I recall, Gnossiennes was early Satie, when he was deep into his Rosicrucian mystical phase. Were Gurdjieff/de Hartmann part of that same mode of thinking?

As regards the appended commentary, I can offer a very pronounced, definite "Huh?". Hopefully, you didn't destroy large parts of Chicago by channeling too deeply into the objective art while performing this!

Entheo, for me, the Persian Song is reminiscent of Satie's "Gnossiennes" -- the same static rhythmic pulse throughout, the odd shifts in harmonic modulation at various junctures. If I recall, Gnossiennes was early Satie, when he was deep into his Rosicrucian mystical phase. Were Gurdjieff/de Hartmann part of that same mode of thinking?

As regards the appended commentary, I can offer a very pronounced, definite "Huh?". Hopefully, you didn't destroy large parts of Chicago by channeling too deeply into the objective art while performing this!

tim, i don't recall ever coming across specific references to the rosicrucians in my gurdjieffian studies, but plenty of references to gnostic christianity so quite likely a connection there.

many of gurdjieff's writings & talks represent a sufi/'nasrudin' perspective designed to disrupt the mechanical flow of life and bring about 'huh?' moments (vs. 'aha' moments).

however, i can assure you chicago remains largely intact in spite of my best efforts to throw monkey wrenches into the machine.

Mark_C
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Registered: 11/11/09
Posts: 20323
Loc: New York

So..... I'm guessing you saw the Standchen stuff on the other thread?

Listening to the beginning....I don't think I've ever heard the staccatos interpreted that way, how you do it in the intro. I sure wouldn't; I don't think it sets up much of a "serenade," more of a haunting threat. But you're conveying a clear take, a clear point of view, which many things don't, and it's interesting, plus, while you don't continue that accompaniment figure in the same way, the way you play the melody is in line with the feel of that intro.

thanks for your comments. no, i haven't seen any other threads on standchen, so i'm afraid i don't have a frame of reference for those. i did experiment a LOT with the accompaniment, and for some reason separating the first four measure as such just ended up appealing to me. i've heard other recordings with the left hand quite staccato, but it's usually carried forward, but not always, or it's varied. horowitz's recording is quite enigmatic and beautiful, so what i took from his interpretation was to find an interpretation that appealed to me. it may not be anyone else's cup of tea, and that's okay; i'm actually more pleased with this piece than most of my other attempts. it is, after all, all grist for the mill.

regarding the "macabre images" -- in many latin american countries (notably mexico) they celebrate El Día de los Muertos, of which those paintings are representational. it's a celebration of love and remembrance; nothing macabre about it at all; in fact quite beautiful -- i've been to numerous dia de los muertos exhibits and they radiate with love. serenades can be to the departed as well.

regarding the "macabre images" -- in many latin american countries (notably mexico) they celebrate El Día de los Muertos, of which those paintings are representational. it's a celebration of love and remembrance; nothing macabre about it at all; in fact quite beautiful -- i've been to numerous dia de los muertos exhibits and they radiate with love. serenades can be to the departed as well.

I've accompanied this sonata (which reminds me of a sketch) with a slide show of Leonardo da Vinci's drawings (with one notable exception). Although they were born 233 years and 320 miles apart, I daresay that Scarlatti shared da Vinci's "unquenchable curiosity" and "feverishly inventive imagination". Hope you will enjoy...

Appropriately hypnotic, Entheo! I don't know whether you noticed a very recent thread indicating that Frederic Chiu is issuing a recording of the Gurdjieff/de Hartmann collaborations in the near future. I confess to much preferring the incantatory efforts of Satie and Mompou to these, but they're still a heckuva lot better than some of the New Age-y noodlings. In the posting, there are several YouTube segments of Chiu working with the recording personnel to get just the right sound quality. Given your interest in this music, I'd strongly recommend this, if you haven't reviewed it already.

Appropriately hypnotic, Entheo! I don't know whether you noticed a very recent thread indicating that Frederic Chiu is issuing a recording of the Gurdjieff/de Hartmann collaborations in the near future. I confess to much preferring the incantatory efforts of Satie and Mompou to these, but they're still a heckuva lot better than some of the New Age-y noodlings. In the posting, there are several YouTube segments of Chiu working with the recording personnel to get just the right sound quality. Given your interest in this music, I'd strongly recommend this, if you haven't reviewed it already.

tim, yes i'm aware of the chiu recordings, and thank you for the heads up. my favorite artist for performing gurdjieff/ de hartmann is alain kremski -- for me he is the one who captures the spirit of "objective music", the feel which differentiates this music from any other. if you can find his recordings - not easy - i highly recommend acquiring them. they transmit what i believe to be what gurdjieff & de hartmann were attempting to convey beyond the notes themselves.

Appropriately hypnotic, Entheo! I don't know whether you noticed a very recent thread indicating that Frederic Chiu is issuing a recording of the Gurdjieff/de Hartmann collaborations in the near future. I confess to much preferring the incantatory efforts of Satie and Mompou to these, but they're still a heckuva lot better than some of the New Age-y noodlings. In the posting, there are several YouTube segments of Chiu working with the recording personnel to get just the right sound quality. Given your interest in this music, I'd strongly recommend this, if you haven't reviewed it already.

tim, yes i'm aware of the chiu recordings, and thank you for the heads up. my favorite artist for performing gurdjieff/ de hartmann is alain kremski -- for me he is the one who captures the spirit of "objective music", the feel which differentiates this music from any other. if you can find his recordings - not easy - i highly recommend acquiring them. they transmit what i believe to be what gurdjieff & de hartmann were attempting to convey beyond the notes themselves.

for those of you who might be interested in a bit of background into the gurdjieff/de hartmann music, i've come across a wonderful interview and examples of the music performed on traditional instruments (dudukis). mr. eskenian is quite correct that although the pieces were written for the piano, it is incapable of capturing the microtones of the music. also note the circular breathing technique employed by the musicians (very difficult; didjeridu players and indeed some horn players like clark terry used this technique):

long time between recording sessions; been concentrating on the drums and finally got my piano tuned hence the incentive to finish this one up. with accompanying Sufi-inspired artwork; hope you'll enjoy...

Hi, Entheo! Ahhhhhhhh..... sigh! Morricone is for me one of the most talented of film composers, and this is a great example of his artistry. The theme provides a perfect emotional setting to the poignant rue of Cinema Paradiso. Thanks for sharing this!

thanks for listening, watching and commenting tim! i worked it up to play at a memorial service and decided to go ahead and record it along with some stills from the film. one of my all-time favorite movies, this has inspired us to put it at the top of our netflix list and i believe it just came in the mail today, so i better be sure a box of kleenex is on the coffee table tonight.